Life's a Challenge
by suburbs
Summary: A collection of responses to the Pure Horace Mantis JONAS challenges. Challenge #10 - Opening Line
1. Challenge 1 Going the Distance

_Disclaimer: I do not own JONAS._

_A/N: __We now have 100 subscribers in the Pure Horace Mantis Community - and a special shout out to fightingillini for being #100! To celebrate the milestone, we are going to post 10 challenges with 10 prompts each for a total of 100 prompt options. Hopefully this will be a fun way to get some new stories for the section. The plan is to post one new challenge a week for ten week with a new challenge on my profile every Wednesday. If you have any questions or challenge ideas, please feel free to send me a PM (trust me, you don't want me to write them all). The first one is a simple quotation response - not very original, I know, but I didn't quite expect to go from 93 subscribers to 100 in less than a day. _

_To kick it off, here is my very hasty response to the challenge._

"**Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love." – Jane Austen**

Macy wasn't surprised to receive the phone call from Stella, but she had certainly hoped that it would never happen. It was the one thing that she had really wanted to be wrong about.

"Hey Stella, what's up?" She asked distractedly, answering the phone on her way to class while simultaneously trying to remember if she had locked her dorm room on her way out the door. She froze as soon as she heard the sound of her best friend sobbing on the other end. "Stell, what's wrong?" She asked, panic evident in her voice.

It took a few moments before the blonde managed to choke out, "He has a girlfriend."

She didn't even need to ask who the boy in question was; with Stella it could only be Joe Lucas. "Oh, honey, I'm so sorry."

"He called to tell me, and he sounded so happy and excited," Stella said. And then she burst out, "He was supposed to wait for me until I was ready. He wasn't supposed to fall in love with someone else."

Macy bit her lip. Part of her wanted to remind Stella that she had told her she was waiting too long – that there wasn't going to be a perfect, magical moment for Joe and Stella to start dating, but she couldn't say that to her friend – not now when her heart was breaking. Instead she murmured, "I know. I'm so sorry."

"And of course she's gorgeous and famous and," this last part she spit out with obvious distaste, "nice. Macy, she's practically perfect. And she has my Joe."

Macy didn't ask the girlfriend's name, pretty sure it was the lead singer of the band opening for the boys on tour. The pretty redhead was currently the darling of the press, and photos of the two of them had been surfacing on the web for weeks.

Before Macy could respond, Stella gasped out, "I can't…" she stopped and then continued, "I can't talk about it. I thought I could, but I can't."

And then she was gone.

Macy had no idea what to do. It was clear that she wasn't going to make it to Economics, but she couldn't just sit around waiting for Stella to call her back. Her best friend needed her. Stella was a less than two hours away by plane and about six hours by car. A last minute plane ticket was way more than she could afford. She knew that if she called Kevin, he would happily pay for it, but then she would have to explain why she needed to get to Stella so quickly. She was pretty sure Stella didn't want Joe to know that she was having an emotional breakdown, and Kevin couldn't keep a secret to save his life.

That left driving.

Glancing down at her watch, she figured if she ran back to her room and threw some stuff into a bag, she could make it to Stella's by seven-thirty or eight, depending on traffic.

Exactly six hours and forty-six minutes later, she was standing in front of Stella's apartment with her arms full. She used her elbow to ring the door bell and waited. When no one came to the door, she leaned on the buzzer. She could hear a voice yell from inside, "Go away!"

"But Stella," she said loudly, "I just got here."

She could hear footsteps approaching and removed her elbow from the doorbell.

"Macy?" Stella asked in surprise as she threw open the door.

"Hi, Stella!" She answered cheerfully in response, knowing immediately that she had done the right thing in dropping everything to drive down. She had never seen her best friend look that bad – Stella's hair hung limp and dull around her shoulders, her eyes were red and puffy, and she was wearing a pair of old sweats that Macy was pretty sure had once belonged to Joe.

Stella blinked before saying, "What are you doing here? Don't you have class tomorrow?"

"My best friend's broken heart is way more important than any class. Plus," Macy made incredibly fake coughing sounds, "I think I feel a cold coming on, and I'm going to be much too ill to attend classes tomorrow. At least that's what I'm going to e-mail to my professors in the morning," she added with a grin. Then she held up the bags in her hands, "I've got chocolate ice cream, girl power movies, nail polish and I borrowed a dart board from the guys down the hall in case we wanted to throw darts at her picture." She paused before saying, "I wasn't sure if we hated her or not."

Stella's eyes filled up with tears. "You're the best friend ever, Mace."

Setting her bags on the ground, she reached out and hugged Stella. "It's going to be okay, I promise. We'll get through this somehow."


	2. Challenge 2 At the Game

_Disclaimer: I do not own JONAS._

_A/N: Thank you so everyone who participated in the first Horace Mantis Challenge. Challenge #2 is a "What if…" challenge. It has ten prompts all based on the idea of writing what you think would happen if something changed in one of the episodes. Sort of like episode tags, but a little different. Hopefully you'll have fun with them. For more information on the challenges, please read the note at the bottom._

_Dedicated to the people who wrote a response to the first challenge:_ _animezebra, Standard-Ang31, Sweetgalsab, psychoticpenguin1420, From the End of Heaven, JDPhoenix, special agent Ali, LostInTranslation764, niknak5, XoxMountainGirlxoX, Gwenyth Hunter, angellwings, and Hello I am insert name here. I apologize if I left you out - day three of a headache, so I am sure I missed someone._

**What if Macy's date with Randolph in "Love Sick" had been a normal, regular date and Nick had ended up sitting by them at the game?**

Nick took a deep breath before pushing open the door to Horace Mantis' gym. He wasn't even sure why he was there – school events really weren't his thing. Everyone was so perky and cheerful and… not like him. Kevin fit in perfectly, but high school games and rallies had always made Nick feel disconnected and alone. But for some reason it had been important to Kevin that he come, so he was going to make the effort. Kevin didn't ask for much, so if it would make his brother happy, he would try to have a little more school spirit.

Sighing a little, he crossed the gym and sat next Joe. "Hey."

Joe looked confused and possibly feverish, "What are you doing here?"

Shrugging, he explained, "I thought I'd take Kevin's advice and try to have a little more school spirit." Looking around the gym, he added, "What happened to Stella? Didn't you two come together?"

After recovering from a coughing attack, Joe shook his head and muttered, "It's a long story. Don't ask."

"Okay." Nick had learned long ago to just stay out of the Joe/Stella drama if he wanted to remain sane. He glanced up at the court and noticed Kevin waving at him. He gave a half-hearted smile and waved back, wishing he was back at home reading his book.

A few minutes later, Joe stood up and announced. "This is stupid. I'm sick. I'm going home." Nick watched his brother stomp out of the gym and sighed again. He had been counting on hanging out with Stella and Joe – now he was going to have to sit by himself.

Or not…

A moment later, someone sat next to him. He glanced over to see a guy he didn't recognize and Macy. Crap! The last thing he needed right now was to have to deal with Macy's obsessive fangirlness. He hoped that if he was really quiet, maybe she wouldn't notice him. But he knew that was unlikely; she seemed to have some sort of JONAS sixth sense. Or she had tagged them all with tiny GPS tracking devices. Either way, she had probably known his exact location the moment she entered the gym.

"Hey, Nick," Macy chirped, leaning around the guy she was with to give him a small wave. "This is Randolph."

"Hey," Nick said before turning his attention back to the game. He figured that if he didn't look at her or encourage her in any way, maybe he would get lucky and she'd leave him alone. Except, after a few minutes, he realized that it wasn't going to be an issue; JONAS' number one super fan didn't seem to care that he was even there.

"So Randolph, how much do you know about basketball?" He heard her ask the guy sitting next to him.

"Not much, really. I'm more into baseball."

"I love baseball!" Macy squealed so loudly that Nick could hear her perfectly above the roar of the crowd cheering for a successful free throw attempt. "The Yankees are my absolute favorite. My dad and I go to the games all the time."

Nick hadn't realized that Macy was a Yankees fan. He tried not to roll his eyes – of course she liked JONAS' favorite team. He wondered if she actually liked them or if she was just copying the Lucas brothers. Crazy girls like her were always announcing they were diehard fans of bands or sports teams the brothers liked to try and get their attention, and he had become fairly skeptical of the pronouncements over the years. Admittedly, she wasn't talking to him, but she might have become a fan after hearing her favorite band liked the team.

"I'm a Red Socks fan myself," Randolph replied. Nick once again had to stop himself from rolling his eyes; the guy probably jumped on the bandwagon after the World Series win.

"You aren't one of those people who started liking them when they got good, are you?" Macy asked with a hint of distain in her voice. Nick kept looking straight ahead as he blinked in surprise; it was almost like she had read his mind.

Randolph held up his hands defensively, "No, I promise. My dad's from Boston, so I grew up a fan. I have a childhood full of disappointment to prove it."

Out of the corner of his eye, Nick could see Macy studying her date carefully. "Fair enough," she finally announced.

"How about you," Randolph asked. "How long have you liked the Yankees?"

"My dad took me to my first game when I was four," Macy said with a small, far away smile. "And they've been my team ever since."

Nick felt a little guilty that he had assumed that she only liked the team because of him and his brothers, which he admitted was a tad presumptuous of him. And maybe even narcissistic. He also felt guilty because he was totally eavesdropping on her date. But, he reasoned, the other team was so bad that it was difficult to stay focused on the action on the court; even Macy's date was more entertaining than the pathetic game he was watching.

"This is seriously the worst zone defense I've ever seen," Macy finally announced dramatically. "Seven and Twelve are guarding the same zone, leaving that huge area open." Macy turned towards her date and asked, "Do you think their coach is blind or just really, really stupid."

Randolph obviously had no idea what she was talking about because he just shrugged and gave Macy a half-smile. Even though Nick knew she wasn't talking to him, he couldn't help himself. The game was so horrific that he had to complain to someone. "I know! And they keep passing to Twenty-Two who can't make a basket to save his life…"

"Instead of Nineteen who has a sweet outside shot," Macy finished for him.

"Exactly," Nick agreed, smiling over at Macy before turning back to watch the game.

A few minutes later, Macy pulled out her phone and frowned. "I'll be right back," she said to her date. "Stella just texted me that she's having some sort of emergency and has to talk to me right now." She got up and headed out of the gym, waving to Kevin as she passed the cheerleaders.

"Isn't she great?" Nick heard her date ask as soon as she was out of earshot. He looked around and realized that the guy had to be talking to him.

"Macy?" He asked. When Randolph nodded, he replied dryly, "Yeah. She's something else."

"I know. I can't believe she agreed to go out with me," he gushed. Nick really hoped that the guy would shut up soon because the conversation was sort of girly and overly-personal considering they had just met. "I mean she's so cool. And have you ever seen her in a swimsuit?" Randolph asked Nick. Nick shook his head, growing more uncomfortable by the second.

"She's hot!" Randolph announced enthusiastically. "Those suits don't leave anything to the imagination. You should come to one of the meets sometime and see what I mean."

Nick had no idea how to respond to that. Fortunately at that moment, he noticed the door to the gym open and saw Macy hurrying back towards them. "And she's back," Nick muttered, hoping that would end the discussion about Macy's physical attributes and ogling her in a bathing suit.

"I'm back," Macy said cheerfully as she sat down on the bleachers next to her date.

"Everything okay with Stella?" Nick asked.

"Typical Joe and Stella drama," Macy said dismissively. "Joe is acting weird about the word date."

"Joe is always weird," Nick scoffed.

"Apparently they got into a fight during the game, and Stella said something dramatic before exiting stage left."

"That explains why he was so grumpy and then took off all of a sudden right before you got here," Nick said thoughtfully.

"Do you want me to change seats with you so you two can talk?" Randolph asked Macy with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

She didn't seem to notice that her date was getting annoyed with her though, because she stood up and said, "Thanks, Randolph."

Nick tried not to laugh at the look of shock on the other boy's face as Macy sat down and began to talk about Stella and Joe, her back now towards her date as she focused her attention on the conversation she was having with Nick. And he tried very hard to keep his eyes on her face instead of checking to see if she was as hot as Randolph claimed. He wasn't sure how she looked in a bathing suit, but she did have gorgeous eyes he realized as the conversation shifted back to basketball. And a really nice smile. Plus, when she wasn't freaking out about JONAS, she was pretty cool.

Maybe school spirit wasn't so bad after all.

_A/N2: I had a few questions about how the challenge and the community work. Just go ahead and write a response and post it in the Misc TV section. I check the section several times a day and will place any responses into Pure Horace Mantis. Also, I will add the new challenges to the top of my profile each week, but the older challenges will still be available in the NEW Pure Horace Mantis forum called Pure Horace Mantis Study Hall. That way, you can respond whenever inspiration hits or if you don't like the new one, you can go back and try out one of the older ones. I try to catch all the stories, but feel free to send me a PM or post in the forum to let me know there is a new story._


	3. A Jock By Any Other Name

_Disclaimer: I do not own JONAS._

_A/N: I wrote one more for the second challenge. It is a little odd, but hopefully it worked okay. Posting it in a hurry because I am supposed to go work in the yard. Sigh._

_Dedication: To Flickeringlight for being the 200__th__ reviewer of Questions and Answers. I never thought I would have a story with that many reviews, so thank you!_

**What if Van Dyke and Joe had a talk and became friends in "The Three Musketeers"?**

Joe sat at the table next to the stairway drinking his third carton of milk, contemplating the disaster he had made of his life when he sensed someone standing next to him. Looking up he saw the last person he wanted to talk to – Van Dyke Tosh, the annoyingly perky cause of all his angst.

Gesturing towards the chair next to Joe, Van Dyke asked, "Do you think maybe we could talk for a second?" Joe didn't say anything, hoping that if he ignored the guy he would go away, but the strategy failed. Obviously taking his silence as an invitation to continue, the jock pulled up a chair and sat down before adding, "I get the feeling that you don't like me."

Joe couldn't help but roll his eyes at this pronouncement. "Really?" He retorted sarcastically. "What made you say that?"

"I don't know," Van Dyke said, looking puzzled. "It's just this feeling I get when I'm around you. And I wanted to see I'd done something wrong."

Looking at the tall blonde in disbelief, Joe wondered if he could actually be that stupid. Even Kevin would have picked up on the glares and sarcastic comments.

"I thought maybe it might have to do with Stella and your brothers."

"You think?" Joe asked, his voice icy.

Putting up his hands defensively, Van Dyke replied, "I swear I didn't know you and Stella had a thing when I asked her out."

"What? Stella and I are not dating," Joe said quickly. "There is no… thing."

"Okay," Tosh said skeptically. "But if there isn't a thing, then there should be. You obviously like her, and I've never been on a date where the girl talked about another guy the entire time."

"She talked about me?" Joe asked excitedly without realizing that he had just confirmed Van Dyke's theory.

"All night," Van Dyke confirmed. That piece of information definitely made Joe feel happier. "Stella's a great girl, and I like being her friend. That's it – I swear. Van Dyke Tosh does not go after another dude's girl."

Joe felt a little bad that he had been so obnoxious to the guy. Sure, he tried too hard, but not everyone could be naturally cool and stylish like the Lucas brothers. He thought that maybe he should give Tosh another chance –after all Nick and Kevin seemed to like him. And Joe knew that he and his brothers could probably use some friends besides Stella and Macy.

Van Dyke cleared his throat and said, "Did you know that _The Three Musketeers_ is really about four guys? There are these three Musketeers who are best friends, almost like brothers, and then there is this other guy who wants to be part of the group. And it seems like he's a big pain, but then it turns out he sort of helps them…"

Joe knew that they were talking about more than the play. He wished Nick was there because his younger brother was way better at speaking in metaphors than he was. "I think Nick mentioned something about that. He was annoyed that the play wasn't 'authentic'." He used air quotes to emphasize the last word.

"Yeah, in the book there's some guy with a weird French name that they left out of the play."

Joe couldn't resist the opening; he had been wondering for months and finally just had to ask. "Speaking of weird, what's up with your name?" Realizing how bad that probably sounded, he added, "No offense."

"None taken. My mom's an art history professor, and she named me after her favorite painter. She just changed the spelling a little because if you can believe it, it's actually even worse the original way," he explained wearily.

"Bummer," Joe responded sympathetically.

"I try to look on the bright side – she also really likes Caravaggio."

"I guess that would be worse," Joe replied skeptically. He wasn't sure though – Van Dyke had to be one of the worst names ever. "Too bad she didn't like one of the Ninja Turtle guys."

Van Dyke face brightened up at the mention of the martial arts cartoon. "Totally – and most of them have normal nicknames – like Leo or Don. I can't even use my initials," he pointed out. "VD does not play well with the ladies."

Joe was confused but he finally realized what Van Dyke meant. "Venereal Disease? No, not good." He thought for a moment before saying, "I think I'm going to call you 'V'."

Excitedly, his companion asked, "Can I call you 'J'?"

"No," Joe replied firmly. "You can call me Joe or maybe Lucas if you insist." He was willing to give the guy a chance, but only Stella got to call him by a nickname.

"Okay," Van Dyke agreed. And then they sat in awkward silence before he added, "Are you still going to glare at me when everyone else is around?"

Apparently Van Dyke wasn't as big of an idiot as he had let on earlier in the conversation, Joe thought. He had noticed the dirty looks and probably the sarcastic comments as well. "No, I think we understand each other."

"Stella's off-limits," the blonde teenager offered.

"And there can be additional Musketeers," Joe added.

The two boys smiled at each other, and Joe was aware that he may have just made a friend who wasn't related to him or a girl, which was sort of interesting.

"I'd better get going. We're going to be late to class," Van Dyke pointed out.

Joe glanced around the hallway and noticed that it was empty. Grinning, he stood and said, "No worries. We can get a pass from Mrs. Snart. I'll tell her we were working on the play."

"Awesome idea," Van Dyke said appreciatively.

As they headed towards the Biology classroom, Joe noticed something on Tosh's letterman jacket. "Hey! Do you play golf?" Van Dyke nodded, and Joe continued. "You should totally play with us. We've never had an actual foursome. Our bodyguard just carries around a club to make it look like we have four players."

Van Dyke broke out into a huge grin. "That'd be great!"

Joe pulled open the door to Mrs. Snart's room and thought that maybe having a guy friend would be pretty cool.


	4. Challenge 3 Palm Tree

_Disclaimer: I do not own JONAS._

_A/N: This is for Challenge #3 – the single word challenge. It was inspired by LaPaige's 100 word prompt challenge over in Camp Rock, but just MUCH shorter. I apologize for how lame this one shot is – the idea seemed better in my head than it turned out on paper. Posting this a few hours before it is officially Wednesday here because I get to go wear a marshmallow necklace and read to a Kindergarten class in the morning. And then go to a preschool Teddy Bear picnic and take pictures. And that's why my penname is suburbs :)_

_Dedication: Wednesday is a special someone's sixth birthday, and I tried to write what I thought it would be like if she met up with Kevin in the waiting room at a doctor's office._

**Prompt - Palm Tree**

Kevin didn't want to go to the doctor's, but after four days the cut on his arm was getting worse instead of better. His mom was sure it was infected and insisted that someone more qualified than Nick look at it, although Kevin was fairly confident that Nick and Google could solve most of his medical problems. It had worked when he got that splinter in his knee power sliding. He also reasoned that rock stars deserved house calls, but in the spirit of "keeping it real", his mom had told him that he was going to have to go to the office like any other patient. They compromised and called his pediatrician, who promised that the waiting room was almost empty and that Kevin could hide in his personal office if things got too crazy.

He paced in the hallway for several minutes before he got up the nerve to open the door. He wasn't afraid of doctors, but a waiting room full of young girls was terrifying – there was always a lot of screaming, which hurt his ears. He finally took a deep breath and opened the door a crack; peaking inside, he saw that the room was just as the doctor had promised – virtually empty.

Sitting in a chair there was one tired-looking mom who was watching a little girl with dark brown pigtails color a picture. Kevin thought that the girl was probably five or six, which meant that if he was lucky she might not recognize him. When he opened the door, the mom looked up at him and smiled before going back to watching her daughter.

Maybe it wasn't going to be as bad as he had expected. At least no one was screaming so far.

After checking in with the receptionist, he settled into a chair and picked up a copy of _National Geographic for Kids_ with a picture of a red panda on the cover. He was part-way through the article when he sensed someone watching him. Lowering the magazine, he found himself face-to-face with the little girl. As soon as he made eye contact, she grinned at him. "Hi! I'm Maggie."

He was pretty sure that she was just really friendly, not a crazy fan. "Hi, Maggie. I'm Kevin."

"Where's your mommy?" The little girl asked, her humongous brown eyes still focused on him.

"She couldn't come," he explained. "I drove myself."

"Wow! They let you go to the kids' doctor when you can drive? Aren't you a grown-up then?"

"Dr. Morrison told me it was okay until I graduate from high school," he explained to the curious girl in front of him.

"Dr. Morrison is nice," Maggie said.

"He really is," Kevin agreed. "And he has a great sticker selection."

She grinned and nodded. After giving him a careful look, she asked, "Do you want to see my picture?"

He glanced over at her mom to make sure it was okay before replying. "I'd love to."

He followed her over to the table and sat in one of the tiny plastic chairs, his knees pulled up almost to his chest. The drawing was obviously the beach, complete with a bright yellow sun and several trees.

"It's the ocean," she pointed out.

"I can tell. You did a great job! I like the palm trees a lot."

Her face it up at his compliment. "You knew they were palm trees!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Of course I did. I've always thought that palm trees looked like telephone poles with bushes stuck on top, and you captured that perfectly."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Are those dolphins?"

"Yes! My grandma said I can swim with the dolphins next time I visit her."

"That's so cool!" Kevin was a little jealous. He'd seen dolphin shows at Sea World, but he'd never been in the water with one. "I want to do that sometime."

"You only have to be six, so I think you could do it," she offered helpfully. Glancing over at her mom, she leaned in and whispered, "I have to get shots today. I don't like shots."

He could tell she was worried about the shots from the sound of her voice. He hated getting shots too, but he was pretty sure that he shouldn't admit that to the little girl in front of him; that would probably make it worse. But he didn't want to lie. Instead he said, "I don't like them either. But it is over pretty quickly." Thinking back to their earlier conversation, he added, "And I bet that getting a shot earns you a second sticker. You should ask Dr. Morrison."

He must have said the right thing because she smiled at him, and her mom mouthed, "Thank you."

At that moment, the nurse opened the door and called Maggie's name. She stood up, picked up the picture and handed it to Kevin. "Here, you can have it."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "I want you to have it. You're nice."

He felt strangely touched and smiled at her, saying, "Thanks Maggie. I think you're nice too."

A moment later, he found himself alone in the waiting room, still at the table that had obviously been made with munchkins in mind. He looked at the drawing and realized that it was the first time that he could remember that someone outside of the family had given him something because he was Kevin Lucas and not because he was a member of JONAS. He loved the gifts and cards from fans, but it was nice to be appreciated for just being himself.

When he got home, he was going to hang the picture up in his room. Maybe his mom was right – there was something to be said for keeping it real.

He looked down at the stack of paper and box of crayons still on the table. He might just have enough time to draw her a picture of an accordion playing bunny before it was his turn to see the doctor.


	5. Challenge 4 Picture Perfect

_Disclaimer: I do not own JONAS._

_A/N: Here is my submission for Challenge #4 – Clichés and Sayings. This might surprise you, but it is actually difficult to come up with ten totally different challenges. This challenge was inspired by a couple of writing workshop websites, but the story was inspired by Loved-Invention's twitter icon. And it sort of had to be a Stella/Joe, which is unusual for me. And I seem to have more time on Tuesdays, so I will probably end up posting these things on Tuesday evenings instead of Wednesday – but you can still do old challenges after I have posted a new one!_

**10. A picture's worth a thousand words.**

It had been three weeks since Joe had been given a new camera for his birthday, and Stella had almost forgotten what his face looked like; all she had seen recently was the large glass circle of his lens. He took the camera with him everywhere, and she was fairly certain that he had to have taken a million photos by now. The weird thing was he hadn't shown them to anyone, and she wasn't the only one who had noticed.

"Hey, Ansel Adams," Nick joked as Joe focused his camera on Macy and Stella discussing some exciting piece of school gossip. "When do we get to see some of these pictures you've been taking?"

Before Joe could respond, Kevin piped in, "Who's Ansel Adams?"

"A famous photographer," Macy offered helpfully, glancing up from her conversation.

"Oh. Did we work with him during the _Rolling Stones_ photo shoot?" Kevin asked curiously.

"No, Kevin," Nick said wearily. "He died before we were born. I was just teasing Joe."

"Oh. It wasn't really that funny," the oldest Lucas observed.

Trying to focus back on Nick's original question, Stella asked, "When are you going to show us your pictures?"

She was surprised to see Joe blush a little. "Maybe later. They're private," he replied.

"Most of them are of the four of us," Nick pointed out. "How private could they be?"

Before Joe could answer, the bell rang, and he muttered something about not wanting to be late before hurrying down the hallway. Stella might have been a little curious before, but now she was a woman with a mission – she was going to see Joe Lucas' photographs.

After school, she knocked on the Lucas' front door, even though she was pretty sure no one was home. She had checked with Kevin, who told her that the entire family was headed over to watch Frankie's soccer practice. She had texted Joe to say that she needed to work on the Stellavator, and he had told her to go ahead and let herself in with her key.

As soon as she was inside, she went upstairs, dropping a bag of new shirts on the floor to make her snooping seem more legitimate in case they came home earlier than expected. She sat down at the computer and took a deep breath, feeling a little guilty at violating her best friend's privacy.

But only a little guilty.

Clicking on the section marked 'Pictures' Stella saw a row of folders with people's names – Nick, Kevin, Macy, Stella, Frankie, Mom and Dad. She was about to click on the one with her name on it when she noticed a folder marked 'Favorites' and opened it.

The first picture that came up on the screen made Stella smile. It showed Macy on Kevin's back, and he was spinning her around - both of them obviously laughing. Off to the side, Nick was watching the pair, his arms crossed with an amused look on his face. Stella was amazed at how well Joe had captured the joy and affection of the moment, and she knew that Macy would literally kill for a copy.

The next photo was of Frankie and his dad, probably doing homework or discussing one of Frankie's schemes. Mr. Lucas appeared confused as he looked down at his youngest son, who was scribbling something on a pad of paper with the slightest hint of a smile on his face.

Stella was pretty sure that Joe took the next one from his bedroom window. It showed Big Man standing next to a large, black SUV with his arms crossed, surrounded by screaming fans, who had most likely just noticed a member of JONAS. The bodyguard looked impassive, totally unaffected by the chaos around him.

After looking at the first three pictures, Stella could see why he was a little hesitant to share them; the photos were amazing, but they were like looking at the world through his eyes. She found herself nervous to see the pictures he had taken of her. Clicking on the arrow to advance to the next photo, her breath caught in her throat.

It was a picture of her sitting in the atrium at school studying for her history test. Sunlight was hitting her hair, causing it to almost glow. She was looking down, biting her lip as she concentrated on her book. It was just a regular day at school, and yet there was something about the picture that made her look beautiful and ethereal. She wondered if that was truly how Joe saw her.

Next, she looked at a close-up of a pair of hands. It took a moment for her to realize that the delicate fingers belonged to her. He must have taken this one while she was pinning the sleeve on Nick's new jacket. Somehow the angle and composition made her feel like an artist and not just a girl who sewed their clothes.

Stella moved on to the next photo, which was also of her. It was a shot of her face, but you could tell that Joe had taken it to capture her eyes. She was smiling and her large brown eyes were sparkling. She had only glanced at it when she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Quickly closing the folder, she moved away from the computer, trying to catch her breath.

Her mind was racing. She had spent months trying to get Joe to tell her what he was feeling or even to share some things that he liked about her, but somehow that no longer seemed important. Somehow after seeing those pictures, she knew exactly how he felt about her. When he appeared at the top of the stairs, she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head against his chest. She felt him freeze at the unexpected contact and prayed that he wouldn't run like he usually did. She smiled as she felt him relax and hug her back.

For Stella, a picture (or three) really had been worth a thousand words.


	6. Challenge 5 Eggstra Special

_Disclaimer: I do not own JONAS._

_A/N: Welcome to Challenge #5 – Holiday Traditions. This one was obviously inspired by Halloween, but that seemed a little limited so I used a bunch of different holidays. Hence an Easter egg story in October. These are obviously coming now whenever I have time (it was a toss-up between posting the challenge or putting away laundry). I can't tell you how excited I'll be when November First rolls around – this is a crazy week!_

_Dedication: For Poet on the Run and ride2night. Sorry it's sort of lame._

**#9 - Dying Easter Eggs**

"Does anyone want to explain why our house smells like eggs?" Nick asked, wrinkling his nose in disgust as he entered the kitchen.

"Cause Kevin just hardboiled six dozen eggs," Joe replied from his position on the couch.

"Six dozen?" Nick asked in disbelief. What on earth were they going to do with that many eggs?

"Macy's coming over to dye Easter eggs, and I wanted to make sure we had enough!" Kevin explained.

He should have known – his oldest brother was always doing crazy things to try and get JONAS' number one fan to smile. Shaking his head, Nick sighed, "When are you just going to admit you like the girl and ask her out? You're almost as bad as Joe."

"I couldn't do that," Kevin responded, becoming pale at the thought. "What if she doesn't like me back? She's our friend and our super-fan, and things might get weird."

"Weirder," Nick mumbled. "Cause things around here are already weird." He paused a moment before adding, "The Lucas brothers suck at dating."

"Speak for yourself," Frankie commented, as he grabbed a cookie out of the cookie jar and headed towards his room. "I'm a big hit with the ladies."

Ignoring his younger brother's interruption, Nick continued. "There has to be something between my million-miles-an-hour and you two stalling in neutral."

Before either of his older brothers could respond, the doorbell rang. Kevin sprinted past Nick, knocking him off-balance in his eagerness to get to the door (and Macy). A moment later Macy bounced into the room with Stella trailing behind.

"I can't wait to dye some eggs," Macy gushed enthusiastically. Her eyes lit up at the sight of all the cartons of eggs Kevin had laid out on the counter. Turning to the oldest Lucas brother, she asked, "Do we really get to dye all of those? My mom only let us have a dozen growing up, and it always seemed to go too fast."

"You can color as many eggs as you want, Ms. Misa," Kevin assured her. "How about you and I mix up all the colors now? I got the clear crayon kit so we can draw pictures on them first. I'm going to do one with music notes and one with an otter playing a trumpet."

"Maybe I'll try to make one look like a soccer ball," Macy replied with a grin.

Rolling his eyes, Joe stood up and headed over towards Stella. "As fascinating as this sounds, I think I'll pass." He looked over at Stella and asked, "Movie?"

The blond glanced over at the counter and back at Joe before nodding. "Do you want to come with us, Nick?" She asked.

While it was tempting to escape the egg-smell, Nick could tell that Joe wasn't excited about the idea of him coming along, so he shook his head. "No thanks, Stell. I think I'll stick around and dye a few eggs. Who knows; it might be fun."

"Really?" Kevin asked excitedly. "That's awesome. How about you put down the plastic tablecloth?"

Already regretting his decision to stay, Nick sighed and unfolded the large pink and green plaid tablecloth Kevin indicated. A few minutes later, Kevin and Macy brought over twelve bowls of dye followed by a handful of crayons and six cartons of eggs. Nick sat at the table with a few eggs in front of him. He grabbed one and thought carefully before picking up the clear wax crayon. He drew his design and placed the egg back in the carton, waiting for Kevin and Macy to start placing their eggs in the dye.

After twenty minutes, he was ready to bang his head on the table. Kevin and Macy were taking forever to color their eggs – carefully dipping each egg in several colors and discussing the best combinations. At this rate, it would take them until next Easter to finish. Finally losing patience, he stood up and grabbed two eggs from Kevin's stash and one from Macy's pile. After adjusting his hold on the items in his hands, he plopped one egg in the red bowl, one in the yellow and one in the purple.

"Hey!" Kevin exclaimed. "Leave our eggs alone! If you want more, you should just ask."

"Sorry," Nick said, holding his hands up in surrender. "This is just taking forever." He looked down into the red bowl and pushed it towards Macy. "Here, this one must be yours. It has your name on it."

He saw Macy's nose wrinkle up in confusion. "I didn't put my name on any of them." She carefully picked the egg up from the vinegar and turned it in her hand, scanning the words written on it. He heard her give a small gasp; she didn't even seem to notice the trail of red dye running down her hand. "Kevin hearts Macy," she whispered. She looked up at his oldest brother with wide, hopefully eyes and a shy smile. "Do you really?

Nick held his breath, hoping that his brother wouldn't mess this up; he was never very good at improvising. Kevin hesitated for a moment, obviously unsure of what to do next, but as soon as he saw Macy's smile falter, he nodded. "I do," he replied earnestly.

Macy squealed and launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Kevin hugged her back and placed a small kiss on her forehead. Looking over Macy's shoulder at his younger brother, he mouthed, "Thank you."

Nick nodded before standing up and heading upstairs, leaving the lovebirds alone with their eggs. He really was a genius. And he sincerely hoped that Stella was happy for her best friend because Macy had just left a big blotch of red dye all over Kevin's new white shirt.


	7. Challenge 6 Video Girl

_Disclaimer: I do not own JONAS._

_A/N: I don't even want to own this story, but I pretty much have to claim it cause I wouldn't blame it on anyone else. It's been a long week. Challenge #6 is Jonas Brothers' song quote challenge. Special thanks to __animezebra for submitting the idea and Loved-Invention for sending me some of her favorite lyrics._

"Video girl rocked my world for a whole two seconds." - Video Girl

Macy had expected that watching behind the scenes as JONAS filmed their latest video would be more…fun. She had been so excited when the guys invited her to come and blog about the shot for her website, but now that she was actually there, on set, she really wasn't enjoying herself.

Sighing, she looked down at her phone and tried to think of something to post. Then she typed, "The new song is awesome! They are shooting the video for it right now in front of me. I know you'll love it!!!"

She thought that throwing in the extra exclamation points was a nice touch. No one would suspect that she was mopping while members of her favorite band performed– that alone was enough to get her kicked out of the fan club. But they were more than a band to her now; they were her friends. And watching that redheaded bimbo simpering around Nick was making her feel sick to her stomach. She wasn't sure why Kevin was spending his section of the video playing with cute little puppies and kittens, while Nick was having some epic romance with a teenage supermodel.

Gritting her teeth as she watched Nick lean over and whisper something into the girl's ear, she began typing furiously, "Just wait until you see Kevin in this – so adorable! What could be cuter than Kevin Lucas with puppies?"

After the director yelled cut, Nick quickly pulled away from the girl next to him. He turned and waved to Macy, and she gave him a small smile and waved back. He headed over to the craft services table where Joe and Stella were arguing over which t-shirt Joe should wear in the next scene.

Nick grabbed a water and stood for a moment waiting for either his brother or the stylist to acknowledge his presence, but when neither even glanced in his direction, he said, "Joe, you know Stella's going to win. Why do you even bother arguing with her?"

This question earned him a glare from his older brother and a huge smile from Stella. Now that he had their attention, he asked his real question. "Is something wrong with Macy?"

"What do you mean?" Joe asked.

"I don't know," Nick said, running a hand through his curls. "I just thought she'd be more excited about being here. She's been really quiet all day, and the past couple times I looked over at her, she was frowning."

"Maybe she thinks that I'm not in the video enough," Joe suggested. He had spent the past two weeks trying to convince his dad to give him more screen time, arguing that he was way cuter than the puppies and kittens Kevin wanted in the video. "Or she agrees with me that this black t-shirt is way better than the white one Stella picked out."

"I'm pretty sure that it has nothing to do with you, Joseph," Stella countered.

"How do you know?" Joe replied. "It could totally have something to do with me."

"Because Macy's my best friend, and I know what's bothering her," she answered.

"Something's bothering Macy?" Kevin asked. He turned to look over at JONAS' number one fan. "She does seem to be pretty sad. Maybe she'd like to come play with the puppies with me."

Without waiting for a response, Kevin bounded over and pulled Macy out of her chair and over towards the pen of puppies. Nick smiled as he watched her pick up one of the wiggling golden retrievers, which immediately began licking her face. After a moment, he turned back to Stella.

"So you know what's bothering Macy?" He asked.

She nodded, "It's not much fun watching an anorexic airhead fawn all over the guy you like. Trust me – I know from experience."

Nick's eyes went wide as he realized what Stella was implying. He turned to look at the brunette currently snuggling with one of Kevin's puppies and then back at Stella. "Really?"

She nodded again. "I really shouldn't be telling you this, but I think it's time you knew. She's liked you for awhile now, and not just because you're Nick of JONAS."

Before he could say anything to Stella, the director called for everyone to get back in their places. The next scene featured Joe, so he just had to play drums and sing backup. He had played the song so many times that he could do what was expected of him while thinking about Stella's announcement.

Macy liked him.

He was surprised that anyone could hear the drums over the pounding of his heart.

She liked him.

Macy perked up a little watching the guys film the next scene. The redheaded trollop was nowhere near Nick, so she could enjoy herself. She noticed that he looked a little distracted, but he was still amazing. She snapped a photo and sent a new post, "Nick is playing drums in this – he's incredible."

As soon as the director called for a break, Nick hurried over to Macy's side.

"Are you having fun?"

She smiled at him. "I've got some great posts for the website. Thanks again for inviting me."

"No problem. It's nice to have someone like you around to talk to between shots." Leaning over he whispered, "I hate having to talk to the video girls."

Wrinkling her nose in confusion, she replied, "What do you mean?"

"The girls they hire to be in the videos are so fake, and they're always trying to kiss up to us to help their careers. It's so annoying," Nick said, hoping Macy would realize that he had no interest in the redhead.

"You don't like her then?" Macy asked hesitantly.

"Girls like that are interesting for about two seconds," he replied. "Right up until they open their mouths." Macy giggled, and he smiled at her before adding, "Personally I prefer a girl who can throw a mean curveball."

He saw Macy freeze and blink several times, obviously processing his comment. Then she smiled and turned towards him, "Did I ever tell you that I struck out Van Dyke eleven times in one game?"

He grinned at her, "No, but I'd love to hear about it. How about we go to pizza when we get done here and you tell me about it?"

She nodded, her eyes shining with happiness.

Nick was pretty sure this was the best video shoot ever.


	8. Challenge 7 Out of the Fog

_Disclaimer: I don't own JONAS._

_A/N: I know this is VERY short. It is based on the thick, low fog that we get where I'm from, and how I felt every time I drove into high school on a foggy day. Challenge #7 is Weather. __A big thank you to Poet on the Run for coming up with the idea for this week's challenge and sending me weather suggestions. I had a different challenge written, but it still needs some work. There are three left, and while I have some ideas, please feel free to send me what you would like to see as well._

The fog was so low and thick that they could only see a few feet in front of them, which made driving a little scary. Kevin's hands were clenching the steering wheel as he concentrated on watching the tail lights of the car in front of him. He breathed a sigh of relief as he pulled into Horace Mantis' parking lot. Looking up he gasped in surprise.

"I can't see the school! Do you think it's still there?" He asked his brothers as he pulled into a parking spot. "How awesome would it be if we got to the edge of the parking lot and it was just gone? No calculus test for me!"

As Joe and Kevin high-fived at the idea, Nick looked over at his brothers with a raised eyebrow. "Would you really want it to be gone, Kev?"

"Uh, didn't you hear what he said?" Joe asked incredulously. "No calculus test. Of course he meant it."

"But it's pretty much the only place besides the Firehouse where we get to be normal," Nick pointed out. "Would you really want to lose that? No cheerleading. No woodshop. No Macy."

"No seeing how Stella is going to push the uniform policy boundaries next," Joe added.

"She really has come up with some creative uses for plaid," Kevin observed thoughtfully.

"No smoothie locker or atrium," Nick continued.

"No Van Dyke," Joe said with a growl, obviously considering this a plus.

"Please," Nick said dismissively. "There will always be a Van Dyke until you man up and ask Stella out."

Kevin sat in the driver's seat deep in thought. He tried to imagine going back to a life of tutors and shuttered at the thought. "Maybe calculus isn't so bad."

"That's what I thought," Nick said with a smirk.

The three brothers exited the car and headed towards the school. When they reached the front door, Kevin threw it open, strode inside and dramatically announced, "I love school!"

He was actually surprised that no one seemed to even pause at his declaration, which was just one more reason for him to love Horace Mantis. Instead, Macy cheerfully replied, "School loves you too, Kevin."

Kevin grinned at his friend and then picked her up in a huge bear hug. "I'm so glad the fog didn't make you and the school disappear, Mace. I'd miss you!"

"Thanks, Kevin. I'd miss you too." Kevin noticed that she sounded sort of confused, but he knew she would just roll with it anyway. That was one of the awesome things about Macy.

"I have to go to calculus now, but I'll see you later," he said happily, setting her back on the ground.

"Okay. Bye, Kevin," Macy replied.

As he headed down the hallway, he could hear Nick say wearily, "Don't even ask."

Kevin couldn't help but grin. Life was good.


	9. Challenge 8 Fairytales

_Disclaimer: I do not own JONAS._

_A/N: Don't know what to say about this story except it is pretty clear that I'm running out of ideas. Sorry about that. Challenge #8 is another song lyric challenge using Sara Bareilles __songs. Why? Because I love her and she has all her lyrics listed on her website so I could just cut and paste. It has been a long couple of weeks. _

_Dedication: To Jenn who loves fairytales but is the least likely person I know to actually want to be a princess/damsel in distress._

"But the story needs some mending and a better happy ending." – Fairytale

"I hate fairytales!" Macy announced dramatically as she sat down between Nick and Kevin Lucas at their usual lunch table.

Nick just gave his friend an amused look and kept eating, but Kevin quickly put down his pudding cup and asked, "Why? What's wrong with fairytales?"

She heard Nick chuckle, but ignored him. Instead she gave her full attention to his older brother, who looked genuinely confused.

"Are you kidding?" She asked perhaps a little more aggressively than necessary. "What isn't wrong with them? The parents are always dead or mean or clueless. And the girls are always helpless victims waiting around for some guy to ride in on a white horse and save them. And then when the prince does show up, he falls in love with the girl's appearance, but he doesn't really even know anything about her. Plus, they all end with a wedding and a happily ever after, but life isn't like that. Fairytales give girls unrealistic expectations."

"Oh," Kevin said with wide eyes.

Macy winced a little, fairly sure that she had just traumatized her favorite guitar player. But she couldn't help it; she had just spent an entire period reading fairytales and listening to the other girls gush about Prince Charming and knights on white horses.

"And romance novels and teen movies aren't any better. Like in real life the captain of the football team is going to change his womanizing ways and decide to become a better person after he falls for some nerdy, but nice nobody." Macy scoffed.

Putting down his sandwich, Nick turned to look at Macy. "I don't think anyone actually takes those stories seriously, Mace. I think people just like to escape into a fantasy where things happen how they would like them to be. Where a girl, no matter who she is, can be treated like a princess and where true love really does exist and ends with a happily ever after." Shrugging, he added, "There's nothing wrong in that."

Macy felt her anger deflate as she listened to Nick. Hearing him talk about true love and princesses and happy endings made her insides sort of melt. It made her think of walking though a meadow full of flowers wearing a flowing dress and being serenaded by a handsome, curly haired prince who looked at her like she was beautiful and special and…

Macy shook her head to bring herself back to reality. "I just think that a girl shouldn't settle for a fairytale ending. She should want someone who knows her, faults and all and loves her anyway. She should want someone who respects her and knows that she is just as likely to come rescue him as she is to need rescuing."

As she finished up her speech, she noticed that Nick was looking at her with a small smile on his face and a sparkle in his eyes. At first she thought he was amused and was going to start making fun of her, but then she realized that it was something else. Almost like he was looking at her like he thought she was beautiful and special.

Or maybe she was just imagining things because that would be absurd and cliché.

He gazed into her eyes as he said, "I think you're right. Maybe fairytales do need better endings." Smiling at her, he added, "Or maybe they just need feisty, confident heroines who aren't afraid to speak their minds. Sounds better than a damsel in distress to me."

As much as she hated fairytales, she sort of felt a little bit like a princess at that moment, and when she saw his eyes flicker to her mouth, she almost stopped breathing. For a moment, she thought he might be leaning in towards her.

"I think fairytales need more talking mice," Kevin announced loudly. "Like in Cinderella."

And the moment was broken.

Nick picked up his sandwich again, and Macy opened her brown paper bag and pulled out an apple. Sighing, she said, "You're probably right, Kev. Talking mice would solve everything."


	10. CHallenge 9 Flock of Hope

_Disclaimer: I do not own JONAS or Heifer International._

_A/N: The next Pure Horace Mantis challenge is called Stretching Your Imagination, and it is based on suggestions by three fabulous individuals (__faerietaleredux, __From the End of Heaven, and ride2night). This story is based on option number three – write a fluff story about Van Dyke/Stella or Van Dyke/Macy, Randolph/Macy, Fiona/Kevin or Fiona/Nick, Angelina/Nick, or Joe/Maria. I picked Kevin and Fiona. I am posting this now because there is an excellent chance that I will come down with the flu this week since I've spent the past three days being coughed on by a sick little girl. Tamiflu is amazing, by the way. _

_Happy Early Thanksgiving!_

The party going on around her was loud and glamorous and definitely the place to be seen, and Fiona should have been enjoying herself. Her hair was falling down her back, long and shinny, her make-up made her skin seem to glow, and her outfit had been put together by one of the top stylists in the industry; she looked fantastic. But as she scanned the room, she realized that there was no one there who would want to be seen with her. Just her luck; she was at a party full of people who she had already used to try and jump-start her career. It was going to be a very long night if she had to stand there all alone pretending to enjoy herself or avoiding the catty remarks from her past victims.

She glanced around the room one more time before she saw Kevin Lucas sitting alone on a couch with a happy smile on his face, watching his brother dance with that stupid "mystery" blonde. She still couldn't believe that the Lucas brothers and their two little sidekicks had outsmarted her. She felt a twinge of something unpleasant when she thought of her assistant; he had been the closest thing she had to a friend and he had picked that stupid Missy girl over her.

Life sucked sometimes

Then she saw a brittle-looking girl she had sabotaged at an audition heading her way with an evil glint in her eye and made a quick decision. Fiona grabbed her Diet Coke and moved across the room towards Kevin, making sure to keep her head held high and her shoulders back (people with bad posture should never wear strapless dresses). She had always heard that he was a gentleman (whatever that meant), so she figured that even if he was still upset over her little deception, he wouldn't be openly rude. And she'd take forced politeness over an angry anorexic actress any day.

"Hello Kevin," she said as she sat down next to him on the blue velvet couch. She watched as he processed who she was; his eyes went wide with something that looked like fear and he scooted away from her. Sighing, she said, "Relax. I just needed a place to sit."

"I don't think I'm supposed to talk to you. Stella says you're a scheming fame-whore who can't be trusted," he replied, huddled on the far edge of the couch. "And that you're always working some angle."

Inside, she thought that the blonde was just jealous that Fiona was thinner, prettier and more famous, but to Kevin she replied, "Normally, she'd be right, but I'm taking the night off."

She almost laughed out loud as she watched Kevin's entire body relax at her announcement. "Oh, well then it's okay," he said happily. "Are you having a good time? Isn't this a great party? Did you see they have cool swag bags?" He held up a canvas bag that had been sitting at his feet.

"They were out when I got here," she said, which wasn't exactly true. She had dumped a drink on Angela, the girl working the swag table at a premiere because they had been wearing the same dress and the brunette had looked better in it, so she had skipped the line. She hadn't felt like dealing with the drama.

Without even thinking about it, Kevin handed his bag over to her. "Here, have mine. I can share with Joe and Nick."

His generosity stunned her. She had been around enough to know that most people didn't give away things, no matter how rich and famous they were. "Thank you," she said simply.

"You're welcome."

He went back to watching the crowd, and she tried to think of something to say. There was something about him that seemed so young and innocent, that she couldn't help but ask "You're eighteen, aren't you?"

He looked back at her and nodded. "Yup. I graduate this year."

"You don't sound too excited about it. Most people I know can't wait to get out of high school."

Shrugging, he replied, "I'll miss my brothers and my friends. I considered failing so I could graduate with Joe next year, but Nick pointed out it would set a bad example for our fans."

"You should do what you want – I don't think you'd lose any fans over it," Fiona observed. "It's not like they buy your music for your brains. As long as you keep wearing those deliciously tight jeans and playing the guitar, they'll love you."

She noticed that he blushed a little when she commented on his jeans. He recovered quickly though, explaining, "It's not about selling CDs or tickets. It's about being a good role model. I don't want people to think it's cool to fail at school." He looked her in the eyes and said sincerely, "Being famous and having fans is a big responsibility."

She had heard do-gooders say similar things before and had always laughed at them, but listening to him, she couldn't laugh. She could tell that he actually believed it, and there was something sort of sweet about his earnestness.

Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she said with a hint of bitterness, "I don't think anyone is looking to me as a role model."

"Of course they are," he answered. "After all, you dated Joe of JONAS. That alone means that girls all over the world want to be like you."

"But I never actually dated him," she pointed out.

"Doesn't matter – people believe what they read. Frankie says that once it is in the tabloids, it is as good as real."

"Frankie?"

"Our little brother. For a nine year old, he's surprisingly media savvy."

Fiona could tell that he was repeating something that someone (probably Nick) had said to him. But she had to agree with Frankie – in fact, she had exploited that facet of human nature on many occasions. Once someone had read something in a magazine or on the web, they tended to believe it, even if it was proven to be false later. To the world, she would always be the girl Joe dumped for the mystery blonde.

"I spoke out against the bubble dress," she pointed out.

Kevin raised an eyebrow at her. "I think you can do better than that, Fiona."

"It's a little too late to change now. Not sure anyone would believe a bad girl gone good story."

"It's never too late to change," Kevin said. "All you have to do is decide you want to."

He made it sound so easy. Before she could come up with a response, she saw Nick approaching the couch and stiffened a little. The youngest member of JONAS was not nearly as warm and fuzzy as his older brother, and she expected some sort of snarky comment from the curly-haired singer. Instead, he just ignored her and said, "Time to go, Kev."

"Okay," his brother said cheerfully. As Nick turned to walk away, Kevin looked at her and said with a smile, "It was nice to talk to you, Fiona. I hope you have a great night."

It had been a long time since anyone had said those words to her and honestly meant it. Trying to think of something to say, she held out the swag bag, "You should take this; it's yours."

She felt a spark travel up her arm as he reached out and patted her hand. "No, you keep it."

He took a few steps before turning back to her, "I'd believe. If you wanted to change, I'd believe you."

And then he was gone, leaving her stunned.

That night she went home and looked at Kevin's page on the JONAS fansite. Apparently he liked chocolate tacos, playing the guitar and ducks, which was odd but sort of endearing. And it gave her an idea.

A week later, Kevin stood in his kitchen with a huge smile on his face as he looked down at a card from Heifer International announcing that Ms. Fiona Skye had donated a "Flock of Hope" in his name.


	11. Challenge 10 It's Official

_Disclaimer: I don't own JONAS._

_A/N: This is my story for the tenth (and final) Pure Horace Mantis challenge – opening lines. The line I chose was "It's official!" I know that the ending is unsatisfactory, but I wanted to get the challenge posted. I may come back and write a follow up to try and make up for it. And I did go to the NCAA website and look up schools with Division One women's teams._

"It's official!" Stella announced dramatically as she entered the Lucas' firehouse. "My best friend's amazing!"

Nick glanced up from his book to look at the blonde stylist and raised an eyebrow, curious as to what had caused the sudden declaration. With Stella you never knew – Macy could have just cured cancer or brought her friend a really good cup of coffee. Instead of asking, though, he just sat back and waited for the information to come to him. He knew that either Joe or Kevin would ask for him.

"She is!" Kevin cried happily. "She's totally amazing!"

"Did she do something especially amazing today?" Joe asked with his mouth full of cookie crumbs. "Or were you just making a general announcement?"

"Ew, Joe," Stella said frowning. "Don't talk with your mouth full."

"Whatever," Joe replied dismissively. But he did swallow before adding, "Just answer the question."

Stella glared at him but continued, "The mail arrived today, and Macy has officially been accepted by every college she applied to." Kevin opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, their stylist pointed at him and said, "Twelve."

The oldest Lucas brother's mouth snapped shut, and he blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

"You were going to ask me how many schools she applied to, and the answer's twelve."

"I was?" Kevin asked.

"Yes," Stella assured him. "You were."

Wanting to cut short a conversation that was sure to be both pointless and annoying, Nick decided to jump in, "Where'd she apply?"

Stella began listing schools, counting them off on her fingers as she recited each one, "Stanford, UCLA, Vanderbilt, Berkeley, Duke, USC, Notre Dame, Northwestern, North Carolina, University of Michigan, University of Washington and Texas A&M."

The three brothers stood in stunned silence, blinking at her.

"Which one of those was her safety school?" Joe asked with a hint of awe in his voice.

"I know," his girlfriend replied smugly. "They are all great schools with top ranked, Division One women's athletic programs. And they're all going to be fighting over our Macy."

"Fighting?" Kevin asked, evidently worried. "Macy's not going to get hurt is she?"

"No," Stella assured him, patting his hand. "It'll be more of a figurative fight. I'm pretty sure no actual punches will be thrown. But they are all going to try and offer her the best possible deal so she'll pick them."

Nick sat on the couch deep in thought, barely processing the discussion going on around him. It was an amazing list of schools, and he was really proud of his friend. But he appeared to be the only one to realize that in addition to being top-ranked schools with fabulous athletic programs, the schools all had something else in common – they were all really far away.

Macy was leaving.

He wasn't sure what he'd expected; she was graduating. If he had really thought about it, he would have guessed that she'd go to Rutgers or Princeton or maybe to a school in New York. Somewhere close, so she could come home on the weekends. And the five of them would all hang out when the guys weren't on tour just like they did now. He still had one more year at Horace Mantis, Joe and Kevin weren't going anywhere, and Stella had decided to keep working as their stylist after graduation. Macy was supposed to be there with them.

But apparently no one had told her that.

What would life be like without Macy? Somehow the idea made him feel sick. She was always there with a smile and a word of encouragement, and she had a way of looking at him that made him feel like he could do anything. Somehow he had just assumed that JONAS' number one fan would always be there. He sat frowning, so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't notice that the room's other occupants had all stopped talking and were staring at him.

"He's quiet," Kevin said in a loud stage whisper.

"Too quiet," Joe finished, and the two oldest Lucas brothers high-fived.

Nick decided to ignore them.

"He's always quiet," Stella pointed out.

"But it's a different quiet," Kevin observed. "Usually he rocks the Zen, deep-thinking philosopher quiet. This is more a brooding volcano of angst silence."

"Can volcanoes brood?" Joe asked.

"If Nick was a volcano, he'd brood," the eldest brother replied decisively.

Nick was pretty sure that if he was a volcano, he'd be blowing his top right about now, hopefully burying his brothers in so much ash that he wouldn't have to listen to any more of their idiotic ramblings.

"Do you think he's okay?" Stella asked.

"You do know I'm right here and can hear you, right?" Nick finally asked through gritted teeth.

"Yes," Kevin replied simply.

"Then why do you insist on talking about me instead of to me?"

Joe, Stella and Kevin all looked at each other nervously.

"We're sorry," Kevin said with a nervous squeak that somehow made the statement sound like more of a question.

Nick decided to just go back to brooding. The three stooges watching him were annoying, and he didn't need to deal with them on top of the Macy news. He was surprised at how much the idea of her leaving was bothering him.

"Nick, is something wrong?" Stella asked softly, sitting next to him on the couch and resting a hand on his knee.

He knew that the smart thing to do was to tell her that he was just tired or that he was working on a new song or that there was nothing wrong. It would eventually make her go away. But he didn't. Instead he blurted out, "Macy's leaving!"

"Huh?" That obviously hadn't been what she expected to hear.

"Don't you see? None of those schools are anywhere near New Jersey. No matter which one she picks, she's going to be really far away." He looked up at his brothers and recognized the moment that his words sunk in.

"No Macy?" Kevin asked sadly.

"No Macy," Nick answered.

Kevin fell backwards onto the blue stripped chair, obviously stunned, while Joe stood blinking in shock.

"Who's going to save us from crazy fan girls?" Joe asked.

"And feed the ducks with me?" Kevin added.

Nick heard Stella sniffle next to him. "What am I going to do without my best friend?" She asked mournfully.

He felt a little better now that everyone else was depressed too. Misery loved company; plus it meant that they weren't bugging him anymore. He wasn't sure how it had happened, but Macy Misa had somehow become very important to them. And he wasn't sure what they were all going to do without her.

"You know what?" Joe asked suddenly. "This officially sucks!"

Nick couldn't agree more.

_A/N2: Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the challenges. I hope you all had fun!_


	12. Officially Over

_Disclaimer: I do not own JONAS or Princeton University._

_A/N: I was supposed to be betaing stories for MissNata13 and Poet on the Run, but it had been so long since I had written anything I decided to finish this up. So hopefully they'll forgive me. Special thanks to kolirox for encouraging me while I wrote this. And don't forget to get your nominations in for the Horace Mantis JONAS awards by February 15._

Macy was officially weirded out.

She had come over to the firehouse for their usual Friday-night movie marathon, except nothing was usual about it. From the moment she had walked in the front door, it had felt like she was in some weird parallel universe. Kevin kept randomly running up and hugging her, which she wasn't complaining about except that he'd made her spill her soda twice already. Stella kept sniffling dramatically and bringing up random memories from their friendship like they hadn't seen each other in years, even though she had only left Macy's house a few hours ago. And Joe had randomly gotten out his camera and kept making them all pose for photos, but he wouldn't explain why this normal get-together was so Kodak-worthy.

Then there was Nick.

Nick who smiled sadly at her and said hello when she first arrived, but who hadn't said a word to her or anyone else since. She knew he could be silent and moody sometimes, but this was way beyond his regular quietness. She wasn't sure if he was brooding or sulking, but either way it was distracting.

The four of them were starting to give her a headache, and she was seriously considering going home even though they hadn't even watched a movie yet. She was already stressed trying to make up her mind about college; she didn't need to deal with the madness that seemed to be taking over the Lucas household.

Glancing around the family room, she noticed that if she was stealthy, she could probably sneak out the front door un-noticed. Stella and Joe had gone upstairs to upload the pictures onto Joe's laptop, and Kevin was putting Frankie to bed. Sighing in relief, she stood up and quietly made her way towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

Nick's voice was so unexpected that she actually dropped her purse in surprise. Turning slowly, she glowered at him. "Wow," she muttered sarcastically. "He speaks."

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"What?" She asked defensively. "You've been sitting over there brooding all night. It was like having a black hole in the middle of the couch."

"I wasn't brooding," Nick insisted. "I was just thinking really hard. And what's with people comparing me to natural disasters? First Kevin calls me a volcano, and now I'm a black hole."

Shrugging, Macy said, "You're an enigma. We're just trying to put you into a context we can understand." Glancing nervously upstairs, she turned back towards Nick and asked, "What was up with everyone tonight?"

"What do you mean?" Nick asked innocently. Macy rolled her eyes at the curly-haired musician before he added, "Hey, congratulations on the college thing, by the way."

She was caught off-guard by the change of subject. "Thanks."

Now that Nick was actually speaking, she figured she should probably stay, so she moved back across the family room and sat next to him on the couch. Of course, he picked that moment to go silent again. But just as she was considering trying to make an escape, he blurted out, "I didn't know you wanted to get away from New Jersey that badly."

"Huh?"

"The schools. It's pretty obvious you wanted to get away. I mean you didn't apply to a single school within 300 miles of here. And most of them are across the country. Thousands of miles away."

Macy blinked in surprise. He actually sounded upset or offended, like she was trying to get away from him personally. Which she actually sort of was, but there was no way he could know that.

"Not all of them," she said weakly.

"Really? Cause all twelve Stella mentioned seemed pretty far away to me."

Looking down at her hands, she wondered if she should tell him the truth – that she had applied to a school Stella didn't know about. She wasn't even sure why she had done it, why she had decided to keep it a secret. But he sounded so annoyed with her that it made her want to tell him.

So quietly that she wasn't even sure he would hear, she whispered, "I actually applied to thirteen."

"What?" Nick sounded genuinely surprised. "Did Stella forget one?"

Macy shook her head. "I didn't tell anyone about the other one. Cause I wasn't sure I would get in. And even if I did, I wasn't sure I wanted to be that close to home."

"Did you get in?" Nick asked, trying unsuccessfully to sound casual.

She nodded again.

"Macy, did you get into Princeton?" He asked.

Something in his voice made her look up at him, and her breath caught at the intense look in his eyes. She had no idea what he was thinking, but when she managed to stutter out an affirmative answer she thought he seemed relieved.

But then why was he frowning?

"Why don't you want to be close to home?" He asked accusingly.

He was asking the same question she had been struggling with herself. Part of her desperately wanted to be close to home – to her parents and her friends and to the boy sitting next to her who would never see her as more than a friend. But another part of her wanted to escape – to get as far away from everything as possible. That part of her wanted to go someplace new where she wouldn't be the sidekick best friend or the crazy fangirl; someplace she could reinvent herself.

"I don't know," she said, sounding frustrated. "I just think that if I go to Princeton, I'll be stuck in the middle, and I won't fit in anywhere. I know I'll want to come home and see you and my parents and Stella on the weekends, which will make it hard to make friends at school. But then when I'm home, I'll just be the tag-along, fifth-wheel like always. But even worse because I won't be part of your everyday life anymore. Which is why it would be better for me to go really far away."

"What do you mean tag-along?"

"You know," Macy said, gesturing dramatically. "You guys got stuck with me because I'm Stella's best friend. Not that you guys aren't really nice about it, but it's not like you actually wanted to be friends with me."

"Is that what you think?" Nick asked incredulously.

"It's the truth," Macy insisted, feeling her eyes prickle with unshed tears as she thought about her relationship with the Lucas brothers. "I spent the first six months we knew each other bruising you with sports equipment and fainting. You guys should be up for sainthood for putting up with me."

She was startled when Nick gently put his hand on her knee. "That's not true, Macy."

"You don't have to be nice, Nick," she said with a watery smile.

"I'm not being nice!" He said fervently. "Why do you think everyone was acting so crazy tonight?"

Shaking her head, she said, "I have no idea. Cause you're all insane?"

"Because we all realized that you're leaving and that we're going to miss you!"

Tears began to slide down her cheeks as she processed what he had just blurted out. She had known that Stella would miss her, but she figured her best friend would be so busy traveling around with the band that it wouldn't really impact her. And it had never (not even in her wildest dreams) occurred to her that any of the brothers would even notice that she had gone.

"Really?"

"Macy, how do you not know how important you are to us?" He asked, running one hand through his curls in frustration. "Do you honestly think Kevin goes to feed the ducks with you every Saturday because you're friends with Stella? Or that I show you my songs before anyone else because I'm trying to be nice? We care about you Macy, and none of us want you to go. Especially me."

Normally she would try and convince herself that he was just being kind or that she was reading too much into what he was saying, but he was so obviously sincere that she couldn't help but believe him. And just knowing that Nick Lucas would miss her filled her stomach with butterflies. As she smiled at him, she became aware that he was sitting very close to her.

Unable to express everything she was feeling, she finally said, "Princeton is a really good school."

He laughed and his entire body seemed to relax at her words. "It's an excellent school," he agreed, and she almost gasped as he reached over and took one of her hands in his. "In fact, I've always wanted to visit, but I never knew anyone who could show me around."

She was pretty sure that he was flirting with her, which was possibly the strangest thing that had happened that night. "I could probably arrange something," she stammered out. She was having trouble thinking straight as he ran his thumb across her knuckles.

"I'd like that," he said with a smile. Then he leaned a little closer so he was talking quietly into her ear; so close she could feel his warm breath on her skin. "And I think I know a way we could solve your fifth-wheel problem."

"You do?" She squeaked.

"What if I asked you out? Then you'd be coming home to visit your boyfriend. And Kevin could be the fifth-wheel."

Her heart was pounding loudly in her chest as she said, "That would solve that problem."

"Is that a yes?"

"Are you actually asking me out?"

He smiled at her and said, "I'm really asking you out."

"Then that's definitely a yes."

And then he was kissing her and cradling her face in his hands. When he pulled away, all she could think to say was, "Go Tigers."


End file.
